NASA'S Exploration Workshop Kicks Off Strategy Development

Why are we going to the moon? What will we do when we get there? Approximately 200 participants from 13 countries grappled with these questions during NASA's Exploration Strategy Workshop, which concluded Friday.

The four-day workshop was the first in a series of activities planned for 2006 focusing on defining a strategy for lunar exploration, including the role of the moon as a stepping stone to Mars and other destinations.

After an initial day of background briefings, participants were assigned to one of seven multidisciplinary teams to identify the themes and objectives for lunar exploration and develop a list of issues and constraints requiring further consideration.

"The collection of ideas, perspectives and justification for lunar exploration themes gathered from this workshop will be a blueprint anyone can use whenever a new opportunity for a lunar mission or activity arises," said NASA's Deputy Administrator Shana Dale.

NASA will be working throughout the summer to integrate the output from the workshop with several other sources, including submissions received through a Request for Information issued earlier this month.